September 22, 2017

When I posted North Indian Navratri recipes for 9 days, I found Rice kheer recipe (Chawal ki kheer in Hindi) is one of the most important prasad recipes offered on Navratri 3rd day for Mata Chandraghanta & 8th day for Maa MahaGauri & Kanya puja. So I wanted to try rice kheer and post in my food book. Usually I make South Indian rice kheer (Paal payasam in Tamil) by roasting and pressure cooking rice in milk. But North Indian kheer is prepared in a different method. Authentically, basmati rice or long grain rice (Chawal) is soaked in water, cooked in full fat milk in an open kadai simmering in low flame for long time. As the rice gets cooked, quantity of milk is reduced. It becomes thick and creamy. Kheer gets a natural color & sweetness from rice & milk. Then cooked rice is sweetened with sugar, boiled till thick and then flavored with cardamom & garnished with nuts. It can be served warm or chilled as you like. It tastes finger licking delicious. I saw few recipes with condensed milk (Milk maid) instead of sugar but I went with the traditional procedure & used sugar. Some people also made it with left over rice.

As I had already posted Bengali Chaler Payesh, making this North Indian rice kheer was not so difficult for me as the procedure is similar. After watching many video recipes and websites, I could do it confidently. It came out really well and tasty. Even though the quantity of rice is less, the yield of this kheer is more. Sendhil & myself enjoyed it taking 2 to 3 servings. Do try this simple and easy rice kheer during this navratri, offer God and get her blessings. Soon I till try to post an easier version of this kheer by using pressure cooker & condensed milk. Now Lets see how to make rice kheer recipe with step by step pictures and video !

Rice Kheer Recipe / Chawal Ki Kheer - Step by step photos

Wash and soak rice in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Boil milk in a wide pan. When it roll boils, simmer the flame. Add the soaked rice.

Cook rice in medium flame by stirring at regular intervals to avoid burnt bottom. It takes nearly 20 to 25 minutes for rice to cook. You can also cover cook for last 5 minutes to make the rice soft. But keep the flame very low.

Boil till kheer becomes slightly thick.i.e when you pour, rice & milk should not separate. They should be well blended but pourable. This is the right consistency. Remember this kheer thickens when cool down. So add more boiled milk, adjust sugar if needed. Garnish with chopped nuts, saffron threads and serve warm or chilled by refrigerating it.

Notes

Soaking helps the rice to cook quick & soft. If you don't have time, you can wash and cook the rice without soaking too.

Add more sugar if you have sweet teeth, but not more than 1/3 cup.

I have not used ghee. If you wish, you can roast the nuts in ghee and add to kheer.

To make a quick version, you can cook rice & milk in a pressure cooker.

You can also use condensed milk instead of sugar.Add 3 tbsp. Guess it will be enough.

August 19, 2017

Last year I shared an easy paal kozhukattai recipe with milk, coconut milk and sugar. I know paal kozhukattai is a very popular dessert recipe in Chettinad, Tamil nadu. So I was looking for some authentic recipes to try it. Finally I found it from an YouTube video of Nagu’s Nalabagam. Based on that recipe, I tried it yesterday for my Thursday Guru pooja neivedyam. It was very tasty with the nice flavor of coconut milk, jaggery and moong dal. It is prepared without milk. Still kozhukattai came out very soft. Addition of cooked moong dal makes the paal kozhukattai thick and more flavorful.

I guess there are many variations in this particular recipe. Friends from Chettinad region, do let me know if there is any change in this recipe. I am happy to try again and post it. Ganesh Chaturthi is fast approaching. I think many people make paal kozhukattai apart from other kozhukattai varieties. Try this yummy paal kolukattai with jaggery. You will love its result. Lets see how to make Chettinad style paal kozhukattai with step by step photos.
I will try to share some useful kozhukattai video recipes from tomorrow for Vinayagar Chaturthi .

In a wide kadai, boil 3/4 cup of water ( flour : water ratio is 1:1.5 or 2 cups based on the flour). Add 1 tsp sesame oil or ghee and salt.Let the water starts to roll boil.When the water starts to roll boil, lower the flame completely and add the rice flour.Mix without lumps.It will become a thick dough.

Switch off the flame, transfer to a plate.Let it become warm enough to handle.

Grease your hands with oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes till it becomes non-sticky, smooth and crack free.Cover the dough with a wet cloth till use.

Make small balls or cylinder shaped lengthy ones with the dough. Arrange them in a plate. While you roll the balls, cover the remaining dough with wet cloth. It should not dry.

Boil 3 cups of water in a wide bowl. When the water roll boils vigorously, add half of the rolled balls. Let it cook in high flame for 2 minutes. Do not cover it. Cooked kozhukattai will float on top. Now add the remaining rolled balls and cook everything together for 3 minutes.Stir it once in the middle gently.

August 11, 2017

Last year during Diwali, I tried this easy kalakand recipe using paneer and condensed milk ( Milk Maid) by watching YouTube video. Kalakand recipe is nothing but a rich milk cake. It is one of the popular desserts in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi and some places in North India. Traditionally it is prepared by boiling and thickening milk with sugar. It takes hours to prepare.

This easy and instant kalakand recipe calls for just 3 ingredients namely Paneer/Chenna, Condensed milk and cardamom powder. For variations, it can be prepared with ricotta cheese instead of paneer and rose water or kewra essence can be added instead of cardamom powder. It can be prepared so easily and quickly. Its ideal for beginners. In North India, I heard people make Kalakand for Janmashtami as it is a milk based sweet. So I thought of sharing this easy and instant kalakand recipe for this Gokulashtami. Do try this easy, Instant Kalakand recipe using condensed milk and store bought paneer. Lets see how to make it with step by step photos.

Milk maid or Amul condensed milk - 200 ml tin

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Butter or ghee - 1 tsp

METHOD

When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of pan, switch off flame.

Transfer to a greased or butter paper lined bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Cut into pieces.

Garnish with chopped nuts. Serve !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Take the store bought paneer and grate it. Measure 1 cup from it ( loosely packed) and keep aside.Line a pan with butter paper or grease it well with ghee and set aside.

Heat ghee in a non-stick kadai and add the condensed milk. Mix well in very low flame.

Add grated paneer, cardamom powder or rose water and mix well. Paneer absorbs condensed milk and it will thicken initially. But if you keep mixing in low flame, mixture will become loose and watery.

Keep the flame medium and stir well. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to thicken and leave the sides of pan. Mix for a minute. You will see the mixture becoming grainy and thick. Switch off the flame and remove the pan immediately.

Pour it to the butter paper lined pan for 2 inch thickness. Level it and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 hours till its well set. Garnish with chopped nuts and stud it well. Cut into pieces and serve chilled for best taste.

Enjoy !

Note

You can add some sugar ( say 1tbsp) if you feel sweet is less.

Fresh chena tastes the best. But I used store bought paneer.

If you mix for long time, kalakand may become chewy.So remove at the right time.

July 6, 2017

Mango payasam/ Mango rice kheer(mambazha payasam in Tamil)is an easy, Indian dessert recipe made with cooked rice, mango pulp and sugar or condensed milk. It can be prepared with cooked rice or vermicelli/sevai. Alphonso & Banganapalli mango tastes the best for this kheer. Actually this payasam is prepared in all the states across South India in their own style. Recently I tasted this mango kheer in a hotel lunch buffet and loved its taste. It was tasting more like paal payasam with mango flavor. So I tried to recreate the same at home and prepared it adding condensed milk(milkmaid). It was tasting so rich and yummy when served chilled. Mango season has almost come to an end. This year, I couldn’t post much using mango. So I thought of sharing this yummy kheer as my contribution for mango recipes this year. Do try this delicious kheer and enjoy with your family. Lets see how to make mango payasam recipe with step by step photos.

Mango payasam / Mango rice kheer - Step by step pictures

Grind it coarsely in a mixie jar. Add the ground rice in the cooker, add milk & pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles.

After the steam is released, mash the rice well. Add condensed milk, cardamom powder and boil for a minute. Switch off the flame and let the payasam cool completely.

Take the mango, peel the skin and chop into pieces. Grind into smooth paste. Add this pulp to the cooled payasam. Do not add the mango pulp when the payasam in hot, milk will curdle.

Add the roasted nuts. Mix well & check for taste and consistency. Add more condensed milk or sugar for sweetness & boiled milk for thin consistency if needed. You can make it thick like pudding. Mix well & refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled for best taste.

April 9, 2017

Musk melon (Also known as Cantaloupe in English, Mulam pazham in Tamil, Kharbooja in Hindi, Thaikumbazham in Malayalam) is one of the best summer coolant fruits available across India during summer season. Muskmelon has lots of health benefits. It aids in weight loss, good for eye sight, treats kidney stones, boost immunity and many more. Many people love to eat this musk melon in fruit salad or eat it as such. But we love to have it as juice, milkshake or smoothie.Last year I had shared musk melon juice recipe. So this year, I thought of sharing this easy musk melon milkshake with you all. I used to make it adding sugar but now we have switched to honey as a healthy alternative. But today I have made this post with sugar. You can use either sugar,honey or cane sugar based on your taste. Similarly milkshake is usually prepared with ice cream. But I have just used milk to make it a low calorie drink.Add ice cream if you are making for kids. It adds richness & creaminess to the milkshake.Ok, now lets see how to make summer special musk melon milkshake recipe with step by step pictures and a video !

Take the musk melon and cut into two halves.Scoop out the seeds in the middle. Drain it in a filter. You can either discard the seeds or sun dry it to make dried melon seeds that can be used for making kheer and garnishing halwa/burfi.

Now scoop the pulpy part of the fruit and transfer it to a mixie jar. Grind it adding milk, sugar and vanilla essence.Add 2 scoops of ice cream if you like. It makes the milkshake much creamier. Grind it to become smooth, creamy and frothy. Transfer to a serving glass. Garnish with sprinklers or few small pieces of musk melon and serve immediately.

Enjoy !

Note

You can replace vanilla essence with cardamom powder if you like that flavor.

If you are making for kids, you can add 2 scoops of ice cream while grinding. It makes the milkshake more tasty.

You should not add ice cubes. Instead you can freeze the milk, crush and add it while grinding.